Aspiring Canadian Poets Contest

Recognizing and Developing Unpublished Canadian Poets

The Aspiring Canadian Poets Contest provides an opportunity to shine a spotlight on unpublished Canadian poets.

Launched by Heidi M. Stock in April (National Poetry Month) 2012, this contest invites the participation of Canadian poets who have not published any of their original creative writing (poems or prose).

With the goal of recognizing and developing unpublished Canadian poets, the prizes for the three winners (1st, 2nd & 3rd place winners) of the Aspiring Canadian Poets Contest will include:

• the publication of their contest winning poetry on this contest website;
  

• a listing of their names in the November issue of Quill & Quire, Canada's Magazine of Book News and Reviews; and
  

• private online mentoring sessions with the contest judge (valued at $1,000 among the three winners).
  

An interview with the first-prize winner will be published on Allyson Latta's website, "Memoir Writing & More", www.allysonlatta.ca, recommended by The Writer magazine in the 125th-anniversary issue as one of "16 of Our Favorite Writing Blogs and Websites"        (March 2012). Allyson is also our contest's Editorial/Media Adviser. To read her interview with our 2012 first-prize winner, visit  http://www.allysonlatta.ca/2012/12/13/interview-with-ana-rodriguez-machado-first-prize-winner-in-the-2012-aspiring-canadian-poets-contest/.

See Prizes for more details.

In its inaugural year, 2012, the Aspiring Canadian Poets Contest announced Vancouver's Poet Laureate, Evelyn Lau, as Honorary Patron and poet Catherine Graham as judge. Catherine is a much sought after creative writing instructor, who has published four books of poetry. See Contest Judge for her biography as well as the biography for our 2013 judge, poet Shannon Bramer.

What are you waiting for? Click on How To Enter for contest rules and guidelines.

Visit Prizes & Winners for our announcement of last year's contest winners! In 2013, the contest will accept entries during the same period, April 1 to June 1, with winners announced in October 2013.